THE STORY OF WAYNE CITY

By Frank Coombs

(written about 1963)

Transcribed by Laurie Selpien

Among the first known settlers in the vicinity of this area was a Mr. Maulding and Mr. Mayberry who operated a grist mill and later a saw mill on the north edge of what is now Wayne City on the Skillet Fork river and the Middleton – Fairfield road about 1827. In 1837 Maulding Mill post office was located there. A nearby cemetery has markers showing burial as early as 1855.

Just when this settlement drifted south to higher ground and adopted the name of Wayne City is unknown, but on June 19, 1871 the first Wayne city Post Office was opened with Joseph B. Scudamore as Post Master and this office was in what is now the business district of Wayne City.

The original and first Scudamore addition to the village was surveyed and platted by James S. Hilliard, County Surveyor, in September 1881 and was incorporated early in 1882 with J. B. Scudamore as president of the village board of Dr. B. E. Garrison as village clerk.

FATHER OF WAYNE CITY

J. B. Scudamore the father of Wayne City was a captain in the army during the Civil War and later was elected to the legislator from district. He and other members of his family held the position of Postmaster five times during the period from June 1871 to June 1906 and old recordings show him very active as a Notary Public and Justice of the Peace for many years.

Dr. Garrison the first village clerk spent his life here caring for the sick and afflicted and always found time to be active in politics and other community affairs.

RAILROAD BUILT

In 1881 work on the Air Line (now Southern) Railroad started and on April 3, 1882 the first passenger train went into service. For years the village and surrounding community relied on timber, red top seed, mules and poultry as its chief income and at different times had several saw mills, stave mills, hub factory, meat block factory, cooper shop, broom factory, flour mills and red top cleaning mill.

Now that the timber is about gone it is a prosperous farming community producing 100 bushels of corn per acre, soy beans and livestock. The thousands of acres of soy beans being produced together with the skilled operation of the G. E. Kissner Elevator bringing them into the village for sale has resulted in such a large volume that Wayne City citizens have declared Wayne City as the Bean Capital of Little Egypt.

About 1920 citizens contributed $15,000.00 to the Sexton Mtg. Co. of Fairfield to erect a branch garment factory here and since that time has been in operation most of the time since erected by various companies and employs 50 to 100 women most of the time.

A FINE BANK

Others who have been a major help in promoting the village and community is the First National Bank. Organized in 1902 as a private bank and operated by H. H. Clark as cashier until 1913 when a group of local citizens purchased it and organized as a National Bank. In 1963 its assets soared to 6 ½ million dollars and every one of those dollars is closely guarded by its presided W. Otis Allen. The Dewitt Lumber Company started business about 1900 by Wm. Dewitt and Sons and was later purchased by the Southern Illinois Lumber Company Inc. a chain of yards in southern Illinois.

The village has always kept up to date with its churches and schools and now has three modern churches (First Baptist, Methodist and Christian) each having educational quarters and modern living quarters for their ministers. The grade school is a consolidated district with eight teachers (Edwin Borah, Principal) and a new gymnasium is now under construction to replace the old one that was destroyed by fire last January. The High School under the supervision of J. Conrad Allen serves a large community, employs sixteen teachers and four buses to transport the pupils.

GOOD FIRE DEPARTMENT

Electricity is furnished the village and community by the Wayne-White Electrical Corp. and the village owns its water, sewage and gas systems also is part of the Wayne Fire District 1, which is a grade “A” fire department.

One of the many others who should be mentioned is Ira Holman who has operated a jewelry and repair shop since 1909 and on August 5^th celebrated his 84^th birthday by spending the day as all others at his work bench.

Additional Information:

Joseph B. Scudamore Aug 23, 1832-Feb 12,1922 buried in the Thomason Cemetery, Wayne City, Illinois

Dr. B. E. Garrison Aug 11, 1859/60 – 1928 buried in the Thomason Cemetery, Wayne City, Illinois

Ira Holman 1879-1971 buried in the Thomason Cemetery, Wayne City, Illinois

Back to main page